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Description of Driving Event:

On 7-2-91 a LaRC electrical technician was seriously injured while preparing to check a 22kV nitrogen filled power cable in an electrical substation. When the technician came in proximity to an energized switchgear electrical terminal, an arc initiated, jumped to the technician's hand, passed into his arm, and exited from various parts of his lower body as well as from a key ring hanging from his belt.

Langley Handbook (LHB) 1710.6, "Electrical Safety", defines safe distances for approaching exposed energized circuits. The LaRC investigation determined that the injured technician was less than the LHB 1710.6 mandated 3 feet from the injury causing energized electrical source.